Bitch Media - votinghttp://bitchmagazine.org/taxonomy/term/3316/0
enOn Our Radar: Feminist News Rounduphttp://bitchmagazine.org/post/on-our-radar-feminist-news-roundup-56
<p><em>Here's what's on our radar today!</em></p>
<p>• Check out these&nbsp;<a href="http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20131030/OPINION/310300049/We-must-work-prevent-sexual-violence?gcheck=1" target="_blank">five steps to prevent sexual violence</a>&nbsp;that&nbsp;<em>don’t</em>&nbsp;blame survivors. [Statesman Journal]</p>
<p>• An investigation finds that immigrants in detention centers have&nbsp;<a href="http://inthesetimes.com/article/15806/immigrant_detainees_have_no_plan_b/" target="_blank">no access to emergency contraceptive Plan B</a>. [In These Times] &nbsp;</p>
<p>•&nbsp;<em>Clamor</em>, an out-of-print independent magazine that provided “Your DIY Guide To Everyday Revolution,” is&nbsp;<a href="http://clamormagazine.org/index.php" target="_blank">now available online</a>! They’re also&nbsp;<a href="http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/creating-a-clamor-magazine-digital-archive" target="_blank">raising funds to make the archives more easily accessible</a>. [Clamor and Indiegogo]</p>
<p>•&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autostraddle.com/queer-justice-means-more-than-gay-white-men-having-public-boyfriends-202325/" target="_blank">Discrimination against the queer community didn’t disappear along with DOMA</a>, and the acceptance of affluent, gay white men does not translate to justice for all queer people. [Autostraddle]</p>
<p>• The National Advocates for Pregnant Women is filing t<a href="http://feministing.com/2013/10/24/i-didnt-know-unborn-children-had-lawyers-federal-lawsuit-challenges-fetal-protection-laws/" target="_blank">he first federal lawsuit challenging fetal endangerment laws</a>&nbsp;on behalf of Alicia Beltran, a pregnant Wisconsin woman who was court-ordered into 78-day stay at a drug treatment center to protect her fetus from an addiction she had already ended. [Feministing]</p>
<p>• Feminist small presses are trying to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/education-oronte-churm/guest-post-i-dont-read-books-women" target="_blank">bridge the gap in representation for female writers</a>. To see the graphs on just how underrepresented women are in the literary community,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.vidaweb.org/vida-count-2012-mic-check-redux" target="_blank">check out the VIDA count from 2012</a>. [Insider Higher Ed and VIDA]</p>
<p>• 12-year-old Madison Kimrey’s speech on getting back voting pre-registration for teens is nothing short of awesome. You can also read her&nbsp;<a href="http://functionalhumanbeing.blogspot.com/2013/10/fired-up.html" target="_blank">accompanying blog post</a>. [Functional Human Being]</p>
<p><iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/3CRSK0HItoI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p><em>Share what's on your radar in the comments!</em></p>
http://bitchmagazine.org/post/on-our-radar-feminist-news-roundup-56#commentslgbt rightspregnancyvotingwritingNewsThu, 31 Oct 2013 16:21:14 +0000Arielle Yarwood24497 at http://bitchmagazine.orgOn Our Radar: Feminist News Rounduphttp://bitchmagazine.org/post/on-our-radar-feminist-news-roundup-52
<p><em>Here's what's on our radar today!</em></p>
<p>• Mark Zuckerberg is hosting&nbsp;a hackathon with young DREAMers to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/21/zuckerberg-immigration-ha_n_4138638.html?utm_hp_ref=technology" target="_blank">develop coding solutions to US immigration problems</a>. [HuffPost]</p>
<p>• The Texas voter ID law that just went into effect requires voters to provide an official ID that matches their most up-to-date name in order to cast a ballot. Many news outlets have been focusing on&nbsp;<a href="http://prospect.org/article/new-voter-id-laws-target-women" target="_blank">the effect it will have on married women</a>&nbsp;who haven’t changed the last name on their ID.&nbsp;<a href="http://feministing.com/2013/10/22/texas-voter-id-law-that-could-disenfranchise-women-voters-targets-trans-voters-in-general/" target="_blank">Feministing points out what’s missing from that analysis</a>: this name-specific targeting also disenfranchises trans voters. [Feministing]</p>
<p>• Openly queer rapper Angel Haze&nbsp;<a href="http://colorlines.com/archives/2013/10/openly_queer_rapper_angel_haze_freaked_out_over_same_love_remix.html" target="_blank">put out a moving remix</a>&nbsp;of Macklemore’s hit “Same Love.” [ColorLines]</p>
<p>• Why one woman&nbsp;<a href="http://www.salon.com/2013/10/22/why_i_wont_call_myself_a_slut/" target="_blank">won’t be reclaiming the word “slut.”</a>&nbsp;[Salon]</p>
<p>• The documentary&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1857899692/the-beautiful-game" target="_blank"><em>A Beautiful Game</em> is raising funds to tell the story of female soccer players in South Africa</a>, and the power that the game can have to create social change. [Kickstarter]</p>
<p>• Today in “no, really?” news: Better, more accessible birth control&nbsp;<a href="http://jezebel.com/better-birth-control-could-save-taxpayers-12-5-billion-1450734314" target="_blank">could save taxpayers a whole truckload of money</a>. [Jezebel]</p>
<p><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2840/10458212816_7412de0975_o.png" alt="A map showing the cost of unintended pregnancies in the US" width="640" height="480" /></p>
<div></div>
<p><em>Share what you've been reading in the comments!</em></p>
http://bitchmagazine.org/post/on-our-radar-feminist-news-roundup-52#commentsbirth controlsexual harassmentSTEMvotingNewsThu, 24 Oct 2013 14:05:46 +0000Arielle Yarwood24447 at http://bitchmagazine.orgVote 'Em If You Got 'Em: Links For Your Election Day!http://bitchmagazine.org/post/election-day-roundup-feminist-magazine-vote-resources-obama-romney-politics
<p>Well, the attack ads are over, the convention floors have long been empty, and the event we've all been anticipating/dreading for what feels like our <em>entire lives</em> is finally upon us: It's Election Day! </p>
<p>To get you ready for your big day at the polls, we've put together some links on elections past, resources for voting in the presence, and info for the not-so-distant future. Now get out there and vote already!</p>
<p><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7273/8159943397_0d2c25a778.jpg" alt="postcard from the suffrage movement showing women playing cards while a man holds a baby in the back" /></p>
<h3>Back to the Future</h3>
<p>Considering <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2012/11/05/1140131/the-10-greatest-moments-of-the-2012-campaign/?mobile=nc"target="_blank">the barrage of information we've been under lo these many months</a>, it's easy to forget why we vote in the first place. Here's some historical context to help with your election fatigue.</p>
<ul>
<li>The Suffrage Movement wasn't all <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yRtEenwk7Q"target="_blank">fun and games</a> (it actually wasn't fun and games at all—I just wanted an excuse to link to that suffrage rap video). Some women in the early 19th century were <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeOHPfsCtFo"target="_blank">jailed, tortured, and silenced at every turn</a> in <a href="http://msmagazine.com/blog/blog/2012/11/05/these-women-did-the-heavy-lifting-all-you-have-to-do-is-go-vote/"target="_blank">their efforts to obtain the right to vote</a>. [YouTube, Ms.]</li>
<li>I say "some women" because we can't forget that <a href="http://www.theroot.com/views/how-racism-tainted-womens-fight-vote"target="_blank">the suffrage movement didn't include women of color</a>. (Not like <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/09/fear-of-a-black-president/309064/#"target="_blank">today's political machine</a> is still racist or anything. It is.) [The Root, The Atlantic]</li>
<li>Before someecards and Tumblr, those working against women who wanted to vote had <a href="http://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/war-on-women-waged-in-postcards-memes-from-the-suffragist-era/"target="_blank">offensively hilarious and sadly familiar postcards</a>. Infantilizing women and using fear tactics to keep them away from the polls? Nah, that never happens. [Collector's Weekly]</li>
<li><a href="http://centuryofaction.org/index.php/main_site/document_project/oregons_colored_womens_equal_suffrage_league_and_the_1912_campaign"target="_blank">(Some) women here in Oregon got the vote exactly 100 years ago this week</a>. Check out some <a href="http://www.lwvor.org/members/lwvor-parade/"target="_blank">photos and video from the suffrage parade</a> and remember that it's your duty to get out there and vote! [Century of Action, League of Women Voters]</li>
<li>The history of voting itself in this country is BANANAS. Did you know the word ballot comes from the Italian word for ball because <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/10/13/081013fa_fact_lepore?currentPage=all"target="_blank">people literally used to vote with balls</a>? Insert balls joke here (but then read about voting history because it is really interesting). [The New Yorker]</li>
</ul>
<p><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7272/8159974485_f3b4e7677b.jpg" alt="people standing in line in Cincinatti to vote" /></p>
<h3>Poll Vault</h3>
<p>You may have voted already (good for you, citizen!), but if not, here are some links to help you do just that.</p>
<ul>
<li>This <a href="http://msmagazine.com/blog/blog/2012/11/05/have-you-completed-your-pre-election-checklist/"target="_blank">pre-election checklist will get you ready for the polls</a>. [Ms.]
</li><li>Find out <a href="http://canivote.org/"target="_blank">where you can vote and what you should bring</a>. [Can I Vote?]</li>
<li>If that link's a little too polite for you, you can also <a href="http://yourfuckingpollingplace.com/"target="_blank">find your fucking polling place</a>. [Find Your Fucking Polling Place]</li>
<li>If you want a star from <em>Law &amp; Order: SVU</em> to help you get to the polls, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrEYip0OPx4&amp;feature=youtu.be"target="_blank">B.D. Wong is on that</a>. [GottaVote]</li>
<li>If you aren't sure what your voting rights are, <a href="http://www.aclu.org/know-your-voting-rights-state-state-voter-information"target"_blank">the ACLU has some information for you</a>. [ACLU]</li>
<li>Voting While Trans <a href="http://www.votingwhiletrans.org/"target="_blank">also has some information for you</a>. [Voting While Trans]</li>
<li>People have already had <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/11/no-one-in-america-should-have-to-wait-7-hours-to-vote/264506/"target="_blank">awful experiences voting in this election</a>. If that happens to you or someone you know, <a href="http://www.866ourvote.org/pages/hurricane-sandy-election-changes"target"_blank">report it right away</a>. [The Atlantic, Election Protection]</li>
<li>You can also tweet or Instagram your voting troubles with the hashtag <a href="http://www.havingtroublevoting.com/"target="_blank">#TroubleVoting</a>. [The Daily Beast]</li>
<li>Waiting in line and want to feel less alone? <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2012/11/04/1136701/why-the-lines-are-so-long-in-florida-and-ohio/"target="_blank">Here's a slide show of voting lines in Florida and Ohio</a>. [Think Progress]</li>
<li>People waiting in long lines to vote need fuel for their democratic fires. Fuel in the form of pizza. Help <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/11/05/1156310/-Feed-the-Lines"target="_blank">feed the lines</a> in your neighborhood! [Daily Kos]</li>
<li>Remember to <a href="http://tigerbeatdown.com/2012/11/05/make-your-vote-count-and-look-out-for-others-while-youre-at-it/"target="_blank">look out for others when you vote</a>. [Tiger Beatdown]</li>
</ul>
<p><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7254/8160239471_008d9f5a1d.jpg" alt="vote 2012 sign" /></p>
<h3>Remember: It's Important!</h3>
<ul>
<li>Here are some reasons why <a href="http://colorlines.com/archives/2012/11/why_vote.html"target="_blank">voting in this election is critical for people of color communities</a>. [Colorlines]</li>
<li>Here are some reasons why <a href="http://nymag.com/thecut/2012/11/whats-at-stake-for-women-on-november-6.html"target="_blank">voting in this election</a> is <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kamala-lopez/women-want-more-vote-more_b_2062062.html"target="_blank">critical for women</a>. [New York magazine, ERA Education Project]</li>
<li>Here are some more reasons (in video form!) <a href="http://www.thenation.com/blogs/melissa-harris-perry#"target="_blank">voting in this election is critical for women</a>. [Melissa Harris-Perry via The Nation]</li>
<li>Here are some more reasons (in infographic form!) why <a href="http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/11/charts-voter-guide-war-women-ladyparts-infographic-election"target="_blank">voting in this election is critical for women</a>. [Mother Jones]</li>
<li>If your area was hit by Hurricane Sandy, here are some reasons why <a href="http://www.salon.com/2012/11/05/whatever_it_takes_get_out_and_vote/"target="_blank">voting in this election is critical for you</a>. [Salon]</li>
<li>Voting in a federal election might feel meaningless, but <a href="http://www.xojane.com/issues/voting-may-be-stupid-and-meaningless-but-you-should-do-it-anyway"target="_blank">it isn't really and you should do it anyway</a>. [Lesley Kinzel, xoJane]</li>
</ul>
<p><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7248/8160015917_bff2d62f2e.jpg" alt="Obama and Romney in The Last Debate" /></p>
<h3>For Your Infotainment</h3>
<p>Some links to check out as Election Day drags on. You know you won't be able to focus on work anyway.</p>
<ul>
<li>Play election boss with this <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/11/02/us/politics/paths-to-the-white-house.html"target="_blank">interactive 512 Paths to the White House</a> feature. [New York Times]</li>
<li>Here is a handy <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/11/05/164340876/election-guides-weve-got-em?ft=1&amp;f=1014&amp;sc=tw"target="_blank">guide to election guides</a> for when results start coming in. [NPR]</li>
<li>Follow Colorlines <a href="http://colorlines.com/brentin-mock/"target="_blank">Voting Rights Watch</a> for updates on attempts to limit the electoral power of people of color, and read accounts from community journalists. [Colorlines]</li>
<li>Feministing has an <a href="http://feministing.com/2012/11/05/the-academic-feminist-election-forum/"target="_blank">academic feminist election forum</a> for the brainiac in you. [Feministing]</li>
<li>Remember: <a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2012/11/06/how_the_women_of_slate_really_voted_with_our_hormones.html?utm_source=tw&amp;utm_medium=sm&amp;utm_campaign=button_chunky"target="_blank">Women vote with our hormones</a>. We just can't help it. Periods! [Slate]</li>
<li>You know people are going to be spewing bullshit all day long. <a href="http://factcheck.org/"target="_blank">Call them on it and get the facts</a>. [FactCheck.org]</li>
<li>Speaking of bullshit... Want your candidate to finally say what you've been hoping he'd say? <a href="http://www.thelastdebate.com/"target="_blank">Tweet and make him talk</a> for you. Well, it's a picture of him with a robotic voice, but STILL. [The Last Debate]</li>
<li>Was that post you saw with the picture of Godzilla attacking the polling booths a little too good to be true? Remember to <a href="http://www.poynter.org/how-tos/newsgathering-storytelling/194006/6-social-media-mistakes-to-avoid-this-election-day/"target="_blank">think (and verify) before you share election news</a>. [Poynter]</li>
<li>What do you do when people you know or love vote against your equality? <a href="http://www.afterellen.com/content/2012/11/gal-pals-when-people-you-love-vote-against-you"target="_blank">Gal Pals: When People You Love Vote Against You</a> hashes it out. [After Ellen]</li>
<li>When it's all over, <a href="http://www.voteseeing.com/"target="_blank">track who predicted the right outcome and who was full of it</a>. [VoteSeeing]</li>
</ul>
<p>Have you read or written anything that might help your fellow feminists make it through Election Day 2012? Share it in the comments and GET OUT THAT VOTE!</p>
http://bitchmagazine.org/post/election-day-roundup-feminist-magazine-vote-resources-obama-romney-politics#comments2012 electionlinksvotingScienceTue, 06 Nov 2012 03:28:50 +0000Kelsey Wallace19781 at http://bitchmagazine.orgIn The Frame: Votes for Women and Tackling the 1%http://bitchmagazine.org/post/votes-for-women-99-percent-wealth-suffrage-feminism-art
<p>Aside from looking at artists who happen to be feminist, or happen to be women, I also want to look at how key events in history have led to the creation of art that inspires support of feminism. One example of this is Votes for Women and the suffragettes and suffragists who wanted to achieve gender equality for the electorate.</p>
<p>It's a complex debate, because not all men had the vote when women began campaigning to be included, and women of color were not included at all in most of these movements. Countries around the world were routinely governed using the political beliefs of rich men, which is clearly something we can relate to today with the Occupy protests fresh in our minds. The 1% not had all of the wealth but they also had the power to change how the country was run. Although we might feel that we have it bad in 2011, we really have made much progress compared to life before electoral democracy in the Western world. I want to highlight some of the key movers and shakers in suffrage activism.</p>
<p>The Artists' Suffrage League was responsible for producing banners for rallies and protests, as well as postcards that were sold to spread the word more subtly. There were world marches in central places like London, where various nations were represented by both men and women who wanted change. Dora Meeson Coates painted banners for the Australian protesters at a 1908 London demonstration, and she used classical art to get her point across. By painting women as Goddess-like and graceful, she was moving away from the anti-suffrage propaganda which often featured gossiping girls (mouths wide open, giggling), rowdy housewives (shouting and ignoring their children), or domineering spinster stereotypes (muscular with their hair scraped back in a tight bun). By giving the public a more palatable and classically beautiful image of a female, Dora Meeson Coates was showing the respectable and mature side that misogynistic&nbsp; aritsts so often overlooked. Unfortunately, the demographic that suffragists were fighting for was that of the white woman, which meant that females of color faced a double struggle in order to get their voices heard. I wish that I could say there had been more of an early protest about the lack of power for non-white women, but sadly this did not come until much later.</p>
<p><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7162/6388955881_27a0528e6c_o.jpg" alt="An Australian banner featuring two white women in robes that says TRUST THE WOMEN AS I HAVE DONE" width="240" height="240" /></p>
<p><em>[Dora Meeson Coates, Trust the Women, 1908]</em></p>
<p>Male creatives didn't entirely overlook suffragism in their art. The Artists' Suffrage League held a competition to find the perfect poster in 1909, and it was won by Duncan Grant, the lover of fellow artist Vanessa Bell (who was Virginia Woolf's sister). His image, <em>Handicapped!</em>, shows the struggle that women faced to be heard, with a lady frantically rowing a small boat whilst a well-dressed man breezes past her in a sailboat. The male in this poster has essentially been handed everything on a plate, whilst the woman works hard to try and catch him up. The <a href="/post/the-transcontinental-disability-choir-what-is-ableist-language-and-why-should-you-care"target="_blank">ableist term</a> "handicapped" is unfortunately used here to indicate the democratic imbalance that the suffragists loathed. Language aside, this is a really powerful picture, and the fact that it was designed by a man adds an interesting element. Many (male) anti-suffrage campaigners liked to present the Votes for Women protestors as ridiculous and completely unpopular, whereas this shows that many men agreed with their cause and understood the need for change.</p>
<p><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6051/6388955965_7622ddeb64.jpg" alt="white woman rowing a boat while a white man breezes past her in a sailboat" width="300" height="466" /><br />
<em>[Duncan Grant, Handicapped!, 1909]</em></p>
<p>Some women refused to support the cause of suffragism, such as Mrs. Partington of the Anti-Suffrage League. This provoked Ernestine Mills to create a postcard that ridiculed Partington's stance, portraying her as a hopeless figure who tries to push back the tide with a broom. Each wave is given the title of a pro-suffrage social group, such as Factory Workers, Civil Servants, or Liberal Women. This is the kind of image that uses humor effectively, without stooping to cartoon-like stereotypes.</p>
<p><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7013/6388955477_dbe6c2e953.jpg" alt="Prim older white woman sweeping the beach" width="500" height="376" /><br />
<em>[Ernestine Mills, The New Mrs. Partington, 1905-1914]</em></p>
<p>Modern styles of art were also used to grab people's attention. C. Hedley Charlton created monochrome images that resembled the graphic illustrations of Aubrey Bearsley. By using a style that people would recognize and talk about, the cause of suffrage was better promoted and it showed the need for contemporary thinking. Her art was used to accompany the pamphlet <em>Beware! A Warning to Suffragists</em>, by the feminist writer Cicely Hamilton.</p>
<p><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7157/6388955665_c8a2cef7ba.jpg" alt="Two black and white illustrations of women. One is a woman baking a pie and reads She cooks and cooks all the while, She looks quite sweet observe her smile! This is the wife all men would like she never thinks or rides a bike! The other image is a woman chained in a cell that reads Beware! A warning to suffragists!" width="500" height="339" /></p>
<p>[C. Hedley Charlton, illustrations for Beware! A Warning to Suffragists, date unknown]</p>
<p>What's sad about the efforts of all these artists is that many modern western women still take their voting privileges for granted. It's disappointing that so many of us (and men as well) are apathetic about making political choices and are more enthusiastic about voting for the next big music star than the leader of our country. Poor leadership and half-hearted distribution of wealth leaves most of us around the world at a disadvantage. The Occupy protests have highlighted a need for reform, and by looking at these images we can be inspired to act just as these artists were a century ago. Art is just one of the ways that we can call for equality, and it's also a great political tool. We need to remember that we have a voice, and go out and make it count.</p>
<p><strong>Previously:</strong> <a href="/post/in-the-frame-women-run-galleries-and-museums-list-guide-feminist-art"target="_blank">A Condensed Guide to Prominent Directors of Mainstream Museums in North America, Europe, and Australia</a>, <a href="/post/in-the-frame-women-of-the-harlem-renaissance-art-feminism"target="_blank">Women of the Harlem Renaissance</a></p>
http://bitchmagazine.org/post/votes-for-women-99-percent-wealth-suffrage-feminism-art#commentsfemale artistsvotesvotingArt and DesignWed, 14 Dec 2011 19:04:39 +0000Polly Allen13789 at http://bitchmagazine.orgPolitical InQueery: How to Stop People from Votinghttp://bitchmagazine.org/post/political-inqueery-how-to-stop-people-from-voting
<p><img style="float: left;" src="http://www.lawyerscommittee.org/admin/site/images/files/Assault-on-Voting-Map-6-16-11.jpg" alt="map of the US showing voting rights laws in effect and proposed, US, 2011" height="333" hspace="10" width="473" />This year, an unprecedented wave of voter suppression bills hit statehouses across the country and garnered very little media attention in response, even as voting rights activists decried the shift. In 27 states, bills that will demand voters show identification, bills that require proof of citizenship, bills that will change processing of provisional ballots, and bills that are aimed directly at students were all introduced or moved through the legislative process. GOP proponents of these bills claimed they were simply protecting elections against fraud. This seems specious at best, given that there are no reports of system-wide fraud at the polls in the 2008 or 2010 elections.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/25/wisconsin-voter-id-law-scott-walker_n_867090.html" target="_blank">Wisconsin passed its new voting law</a> rescinding the ability of neighbors to vouch for each others' residency, and requiring an approved identification card be shown at the polls—and perhaps not surprisingly, a University of Wisconsin ID does not count as valid.</p>
<p>Wisconsin's Governor Walker may have signed his bill last month, but just yesterday, <a href="http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/06/north_carolina_dem_governor_vetoes_gop_voter-id_bi.php?ref=fpc" target="_blank">North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue vetoed the bill</a> that came to her desk. After declaring in <a href="http://www.governor.state.nc.us/NewsItems/PressReleaseDetail.aspx?newsItemID=1888" target="_blank">her veto announcement</a> that the bill as written disenfranchised certain voters, she continued with this:</p>
<blockquote><p>"There was a time in North Carolina history when the right to vote was enjoyed only by some citizens rather than by all. That time is past, and we should not revisit it. Therefore, I veto this bill."</p></blockquote>
<p><span>While New Mexico and Colorado failed to pass their bills requiring proof of citizenship, similar language was signed into law in Kansas. The Secretary of State, Kris Kobach, who is noted as championing the bill, talked about it as a beacon for voter "security" that other states should follow.</span></p>
<blockquote><p>"No other state in the union does as much to secure the integrity of the voting process. If you want the Cadillac of voter security, the Kansas model is the way to go."</p></blockquote>
<p>It's a powerful law, especially given that there have been only <a href="http://www.kansascity.com/2011/01/19/2593826/kobach-seeks-voter-ids-power-to.html" target="_blank">seven cases of voter fraud in Kansas</a> in the last five years. Seven. Speaking about the surge of voting "reform" laws, Katie O'Connell, staff attorney for the ACLU, said:</p>
<blockquote><p>"Claims of election fraud are both misguided and inaccurate and are only a distraction from what is really a coordinated effort to suppress the voting rights of thousands of eligible voters."</p></blockquote>
<p>Starting next January, individuals who go to register to vote for the first time will be required to show a birth certificate or US Passport to prove their citizenship, in addition to providing proof of state residency. By the way, fees required for a passport are $165. Have fun registering, folks.</p>
<p>It has not gone unnoticed by civil rights organizations that very specific groups of people are affected by these bills and new laws: student voters, Hispanic immigrants, and working-class African Americans. With early balloting being cut or eliminated, legitimate votes converted into provisional ballots (or, in Wisconsin, maybe not counted at all), and requirements raised to extreme heights just to register, it looks like the Republicans are aiming to shift the voting demographic from the 2008 election, which posted record numbers of well, student voters, Hispanic immigrants, and working class African Americans.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.projectvote.org/" target="_blank">Project Vote has been keeping track</a> of the lawsuits now being introduced against the states who have passed these restrictive laws. Already the <a href="http://www.aclu.org/voting-rights" target="_blank">ACLU's Voting Rights Project</a> has been busy bringing suits against Florida and Georgia, and will likely file suit in others.</p>
<p>As for the US Congress, while there has been talk about bringing such "reform" and "voter security" to the Hill, little movement has actually occurred. The Republican chairman of House Subcommittee on Elections, Glenn Harper, did give a nod to the kinds of ideas that have been brought to state legislatures, saying in April that "We simply cannot have an electoral system that allows thousands of non-citizens to violate the law and vote in our elections."</p>
<p>But even Harper is wary of some of language and effects of the state-side bills and laws, releasing a statement to Talking Points Memo with this:</p>
<blockquote><p>"I'm a proponent of giving states the flexibility to implement the requirements that best meet their needs, but I am also concerned with the processes certain states are implementing to maintain and verify their voter registration rolls."</p></blockquote>
<p>Yes, better to have the disenfranchisement of countless voters occur away from Washington, where it would pick up much more media attention and open up a debate about how to weigh access versus security (a dubious dichotomy at best), or a conversation about why only one party seems so invested in making voting harder. That more than half of the states have looked at some kind of registration or voting restriction reveals that this is a concerted effort to change the electorate for the next presidential election. We can declare that our newly elected state representatives and senators are concerned with the integrity of our voting process, but we probably should all check our state requirements for voting instead. To do that, see the <a href="http://www.eac.gov/" target="_blank">US Election Assistance</a> website.</p>
<p><strong>Previously: </strong><a href="/post/political-inqueery-scotus-and-the-limits-on-the-rule-of-law">SCOTUS, Wal-Mart, and the Limits on the Rule of Law</a>, <a href="/post/political-inqueery-criticism-obamockery">Criticism &amp; Obamockery</a></p>
http://bitchmagazine.org/post/political-inqueery-how-to-stop-people-from-voting#comments2012 electioncivil rightsvotingScienceFri, 24 Jun 2011 17:41:14 +0000EvMaroon10961 at http://bitchmagazine.orgOn Our Radarhttp://bitchmagazine.org/post/on-our-radar-33
<p>Hello, hello! Ready for some thought-provoking links? I knew you were!</p>
<ul>
<li>Today, in bad taste... anti-abortion group Life Always is comparing aborted fetuses to people killed by the earthquake in Japan. The <a title="ColorLines: &quot;Black Anti-Choice Group Compares Abortions to Japan Death Toll&quot;" href="http://colorlines.com/archives/2011/03/black_anti-abortion_group_compares_abortions_to_japan_quake_death_toll.html">always-astute ColorLines reports</a> on the wrongheadedness of this tactic.</li>
<li><a title="TransGriot: &quot;Hollywood Is As Important To Trans People As Washington DC&quot;" href="http://transgriot.blogspot.com/2011/03/hollywood-is-as-important-to-trans.html">TransGriot writes</a> about the importance of having trans* people in US cinema, and not just as characters.</li>
<li>Did you see the <em>New York Times</em>' <a title="The New York Times: &quot;Washington's New Brat Pack Masters Media&quot;" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/27/fashion/27YOUNGPUNDITS.html?ref=style">claim that</a> all of Washington D.C.'s influential pundits are young men... and Ann Friedman's <a title="Ann Friedman: &quot;Washington's Lady Journos Have Been Here All Along&quot;" href="http://annfriedman.com/blog/washingtons-lady-journos-have-been-here-all-along">response</a>? Feministe gives us a <a title="Feministe: &quot;The New Old Boys Club&quot;" href="http://www.feministe.us/blog/archives/2011/03/28/the-new-old-boys-club/">run-down</a>.</li>
<li>Also at Feministe, <a title="Bitch profile: Chally Kacelnik" href="/profile/chally-kacelnik">Chally Kacelnik</a> speaks of <a title="Feministe: &quot;Voter Intimidation&quot;" href="http://www.feministe.us/blog/archives/2011/03/26/voter-intimidation/">voting in Australia</a> and the passing of fantasy <a title="Feministe: &quot;Diana Wynne Jones, 1934-2011&quot;" href="http://www.feministe.us/blog/archives/2011/03/26/diana-wynne-jones-1934-2011/">author Diana Wynne Jones</a>.</li>
<li>Alvin McEwan <a title="AlterNet: &quot;Catholic bishops don't want to give housing to gays and lesbians&quot;" href="http://blogs.alternet.org/speakeasy/2011/03/29/cathlic-bishops-dont-want-to-give-housing-to-gays-and-lesbians/?utm_source=feedblitz&amp;utm_medium=FeedBlitzRss&amp;utm_campaign=alternet">muses on the irony</a> of bishops denying queer people housing, and Frances Kissling <a title="AlterNet: &quot;Gerry Ferraro's Other Legacy: How a Good Catholic Girl From Queens Took On Her Church&quot;" href="http://www.alternet.org/story/150395/gerry_ferraros_other_legacy_how_a_good_catholic_girl_from_queens_took_on_her_church?page=1">talks about the life</a> of Geraldine Ferraro, an influential pro-choice Catholic politician, both on AlterNet.</li>
<li>Comic lovers, have you heard about the Black Panther's apparent change into the <em>American</em> Panther? Arturo at Racialicious <a title="Racialicious: &quot;Marvel Teases A 'Black'-Out: What To Make Of The 'American Panther'?&quot;" href="http://www.racialicious.com/2011/03/29/marvel-teases-a-black-out-what-to-make-of-the-american-panther/">has questions and words for Marvel.</a></li>
<li>Some of us at Bitch HQ were unhappy to see <a title="IMDb: &quot;'Mad Men' Delayed Until 2012 as Negotiations Drag On&quot;" href="http://www.imdb.com/news/ni9059741/">this announcement</a> about <a title="Bitch: &quot;Push(back) at the Intersections: Two Ways of Looking at Mad Men&quot;" href="/post/pushback-at-the-intersections-two-ways-of-looking-at-mad-men"><em>Mad Men</em></a>'s hiatus. Meanwhile at Philly, Ellen Gray explores the <a title="Philly: &quot;Ellen Gray: 'Divorce: Circa 1960s' is included with 'Mad Men: Season 4' DVD&quot;" href="http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/20110329_Ellen_Gray___Divorce__Circa_1960s__is_included_with__Mad_Men__Season_4__DVD.html#ixzz1I0e7QIwv%20Watch%20sports%20videos%20you%20won%27t%20find%20anywhere%20else">curious decision</a> to include a documentary about 1960s divorce on the Season 4 DVDs. What's your take?</li>
<li>The Crunk Feminist Collective ponders <a title="The Crunk Feminist Collective: &quot;How Chris Brown is Effing Up My Sex Life: A B-Side to Dating While Feminist&quot;" href="http://crunkfeministcollective.wordpress.com/2011/03/31/how-chris-brown-is-effing-up-my-sex-life-a-b-side-to-dating-while-feminist/?utm_source=twitterfeed&amp;utm_medium=twitter">intimate partners' reactions to the media</a>, asking "<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">How can I get next to you if I can't get next to your politics?"</span></li>
<li>At the <em>Atlantic</em>, <a title="Bitch profile: Sady Doyle" href="/profile/sadydoyle">Sady Doyle</a> asks what many action-film-lovin' gals have been wondering: <a title="The Atlantic: &quot;'Sucker Punch' and the Decline of Strong Woman Action Heroines&quot;" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2011/03/sucker-punch-and-the-decline-of-strong-woman-action-heroines/73090/">How did we get to <em>Sucker Punch</em>?</a></li>
<li>Nancy Goldstein at the <em>American Prospect</em> discusses the importance of <a title="The American Prospect: &quot;Preserving the Triangle Factory Fire's Lessons, 100 Years Later&quot;" href="http://prospect.org/cs/articles?article=preserving_the_triangle_factory_fires_lessons_100_years_later">"Preserving the Triangle Factory Fire's Lessons."</a></li>
<li>Annette Bourdeau at Moviefone shares her <a title="Moviefone: &quot;Honoring the Classics: When Movie Stars Tackle Literary Heroines&quot;" href="http://blog.moviefone.com/2011/03/24/when-movie-stars-tackle-literary-heroines">five favorite screen adaptations</a> of literary heroines. It's a start but is too short and limited, methinks. What are yours?</li>
<li>Speaking of adaptations, <a title="AfterEllen: &quot;Great LezBritain: Sarah Waters talks inspiration, adaptations at World Book Night&quot;" href="http://www.afterellen.com/greatlezbritain/3-28-2011">AfterEllen interviews</a> iconic lesbian author Sarah Waters about the experience of having one's novels made into TV programs.</li>
<li>Are you a student? Feministing <a title="Feministing: &quot;Pledge to Make Your Campus SAFER This Sexual Assault ACTIVISM Month&quot;" href="http://feministing.com/2011/03/29/pledge-to-make-your-campus-safer-this-sexual-assault-activism-month/">shares ideas</a> for <a title="Students Active For Ending Rape: &quot;April is Sexual Assault ACTIVISM Month!&quot;" href="http://www.safercampus.org/saam">Sexual Assault ACTIVISM Month</a> on your campus.</li>
<li>At <em>HuffPo</em>, Linkins <a title="Huffington Post: &quot;Scarborough Hits Liberals For Hypocrisy On Libya&quot;" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/29/scarborough-libya-hypocrisy_n_842034.html">argues against</a> the claim that political liberals are silent about invading Libya.</li>
<li>Recently at a safety seminar, a Toronto cop told students that "Women can avoid sexual assault by not dressing like sluts." In protest, awesome local women are marching past police headquarters on Sunday for <a title="Toronto Observer: &quot;Slutwalk set to strut past Queen's Park to police HQ on April 3&quot;" href="http://www.torontoobserver.ca/2011/03/30/slutwalk-set-to-strut-past-queens-park-to-police-hq-on-april-3/">the Slutwalk</a>!</li>
</ul>
<p>What else have you been reading this week?</p>
http://bitchmagazine.org/post/on-our-radar-33#commentsAction filmsauthorsBlog RoundupCatholicismChris Browndeathfemale politiciansfeminist blogospherehomelessOn Our RadarvotingBitch HQFri, 01 Apr 2011 17:54:51 +0000Deb Jannerson9644 at http://bitchmagazine.orgCongratulations, it's a girl and you're a liberal!http://bitchmagazine.org/post/congratulations-its-a-girl-and-youre-a-liberal
<p>There's an old saying "To make a man a feminist, give him a daughter." And for the most part, I think it's true. Sure we have the George W. Bush and Dick Cheney's of the world - both with only daughters and both determined to drag the USA into the dark ages - but then I think of my own dad. An old school man who immigrated to the USA from Mexico and chock full of the ideas on how girls behave. Yet he also was gifted with three daughters and no sons so he did what I've heard other men do in the same situation - He taught me to love sports. And honestly that's where my feminism sprouts from. </p>
<p>Thus the news of a report by Andrew J. Oswald and Nattavudh Powdthavee out of the UK made headlines like: </p>
<p>* <a href="http://www.feministing.com/archives/015572.html" rel="nofollow">Daddys with Daughters end up more liberal?</a><br />
* <a href="http://womensissues.about.com/b/2009/05/20/from-personal-views-to-politics-only-daughter-parents-more-liberal.htm" rel="nofollow">From Personal Views to Politics, Only-Daughter Parents More Liberal</a><br />
* <a href="http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/643182" rel="nofollow">Will Daddy's little girl alter his vote?</a><br />
* <a href="http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/news/world/342113/having-daughters-can-make-you-a-lefty.html" rel="nofollow">Having daughters can make you a lefty</a><br />
* <a href="http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2009/05/having-daughters-rather-than-sons-makes.html" rel="nofollow">Having Daughters Rather Than Sons Makes You More Liberal</a></p>
<p>While I did rejoice when I heard the news, I'm also a big nrrd who needs to read <a href="http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/economics/staff/faculty/oswald/daughtersrestat08.pdf" rel="nofollow">the report</a> [PDF warning] and dig deeper. Was there any indication why having daughters does this to men? What about moms?</p>
<p>Well us moms are also prone to this influence -- only in the opposite direction. </p>
<p>"Similarly, a mother with many sons becomes sympathetic to the 'male' case for lower taxes and a smaller supply of public goods, and becomes more right-wing."</p>
<p>WHA?? Then I started to think of moms I know with sons. Feminist, feminist, kinda, wavering, ummm...shit. </p>
<p>While most of the blogs and news stories focused on the Warner &amp; Washington study cited about US Congressional voting records, the Oswald &amp; Powdthavee study actually looked at UK and German voting patterns because it was able to give us evidence of a right-leaning man switching once a daughter entered his life. AND it also showed that this daughter-effect is lost once she moves out. </p>
<p>The biggest conclusion I took from the study that Oswald &amp; Powdthavee didn't seem to highlight was the socialization of children and families. The fact that women, on the average, see more worth from social programs like public safety makes them more willing to pay taxes for them. Men, on the other hand don't and thus don't like paying taxes. I know, huge generalizations. </p>
<p>So instead of <a href="http://www.feministing.com/archives/015572.html" rel="nofollow">"proof that conservative policy agendas hurt women"</a> we need to look at why men don't connect with social programs? Do we raise them more to depend on just themselves or on a community? And what does that mean for our country? </p>
<p>Many feminists I know are raising boys and have raised some amazing feminist boys. I don't think we are so influenced by the gender of our children as influenced by the social environment that our children are headed into. Thus parents of girls know or learn that it's freaking tough to be a woman in a man's world. What we need to do a better job is helping parents of boys see that it's tough for men in a man's world...when man = self-reliant, unemotional, hyper-masculine.</p>
http://bitchmagazine.org/post/congratulations-its-a-girl-and-youre-a-liberal#commentsdadsdaughtersfeministliberalvotingSocial CommentaryWed, 10 Jun 2009 14:38:21 +0000Veronica I. Arreola1744 at http://bitchmagazine.org